Remicade (infliximab) for ulcerative colitis

I've got a soft spot in my heart for GI disorders since I suffer from one myself. They suck. So when I read this the other day I was a bit surprised.

"For people with active ulcerative colitis who do not respond to corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents, infliximab is effective in inducing clinical remission, inducing clinical response, promoting mucosal healing and reducing the need for colectomy, at least in the short term," said review co-author Dr. Anthony Kwaku Akobeng.

[...]

"Infliximab is another option if steroids fail," said Peter Higgins, M.D., an assistant professor in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

And here I was, thinking this was common knowledge. In fact I during my hospitalization a few weeks ago whilst on vacation I had a discussion about UC with the tech doing my CT scan. She was telling me one of her friends had severe UC, and that he was on steroids. I distinctly remember suggesting Remicade or Humira instead of prednisone through my drug-induced stupor. She was telling me he hated the side effects. What a surprise. Then I think I started rambling about monoclonals and the lack of a generic approval pathway for biologics in general. She stopped talking to me after that.

She was cute, too. Really cute.

But hey, more studies are always good. Too bad Remicade is WAY more expensive than prednisone…

[tags]Medicine, pharmacy, Remicade, infliximab, ulcerative colitis[/tags]